Sun and Moon Shining Together

On the Double Ninth Festival, at the newly completed astronomical observatory, Wu Zetian and Li Zhi jointly unveiled the velvet cover of the armillary sphere.

When Li Zhi raised his hand to adjust the zodiac ring, Wu Meiniang subconsciously supported his elbow—a gesture that made both of them slightly startled.

"Your Majesty need not force yourself," she said softly. "Master Sun said that it is not advisable to stand for long periods during the recovery period."

He took her hand in his, his fingertips tracing the old acupuncture marks on her wrist: "I wish to personally determine the location of the Star of Elegance."

(OS: Back then, his trembling hands couldn't even hold a medicine cup steadily when he was ill, but now he can calibrate an astrological chart. We won this battle against death.)

When the gilded inscription of "Meiniang Star" appeared next to Yuheng Star, gasps rose from among the officials.

Li Zhi gazed at the interwoven light trails on the astrolabe and suddenly said, "I wish to change the era name."

In the silence of the room, he took a red brush and wrote the two characters "sun and moon" on a yellow silk.

His brushstrokes were as steady as in the early Yonghui period, no longer showing the hesitation and awkwardness that sometimes accompanied his illness: "From this year onwards, we will use the year and month designations."

(OS: Good heavens, they've directly etched the reign of two emperors into the historical timeline! This is even more outrageous than time travel!)

Before Wu Meiniang could speak, Taiping had already tiptoed and snatched the vermilion brush, drawing a crooked circle next to the character "moon".

The Grand Astrologer exclaimed, "The princess has added the trajectory of a new moon!" Li Zhi laughed and lifted his daughter onto his shoulders. Her face was so rosy that it was impossible to tell that she had fainted in the Zichen Palace three years ago.

(OS: Could this little darling also be a time traveler? Wait, she picked up a canal boat during her first birthday celebration, learned to speak Tibetan, and now she understands astrology... It's terrifying to think about!)

On the day the edict to change the reign title was issued, Wu Zetian displayed the newly drawn "Map of the Four Seas" in the Xuanzheng Hall.

As she pointed to the newly built Tea and Horse Bureau on the Tibetan Plateau, Li Zhi suddenly pressed his temple.

Amidst the commotion among the courtiers, he smiled and shook his head: "It's nothing. I just remembered that when I was ill, the Empress would always massage me here."

He took her hand and placed it in the center of the map, his palm warm and dry: "The sun and moon shine together, illuminating the vast land."

Di Renjie noticed that the emperor also had a medicated patch specially made by Wu Zetian on the back of his neck.

(OS: On the surface, everything seems serene and peaceful, but behind the scenes, I still rely on my health and wellness tips.)

As night fell, the emperor and empress ascended the observatory to observe the stars.

Taiping lay down in front of the armillary sphere and used luminous pearls to form the shape of the Big Dipper.

Wu Meiniang recalled that when Li Zhi was seriously ill, he held her hand and said, "If I could see Taiping come of age," and her eyes welled up with tears.

"Look, Meiniang," Li Zhi suddenly pointed to the sky, "Jupiter and Venus are converging, just as our sun and moon shine together."

She gazed into his star-filled eyes, recalling Sun Simiao's pulse diagnosis from that morning: "His Majesty's pulse is like pearls rolling on a plate; his chronic illness has been cured."

(OS: I've finally pulled Emperor Gaozong of Tang, who died young in history books, off his predetermined path!)

Amidst the glittering stars, an old wooden hairpin from Ganye Temple fell from Li Zhi's sleeve.

The hairpin with its twin lotus blossom design was worn smooth from being rubbed, and it was the object he held most often in his hand during his illness.

"This item accompanied me through my most difficult days and nights; today it shall be returned to its rightful owner."

Wu Zetian carried Princess Taiping to the armillary sphere and watched as the little princess held up the luminous pearl.

The moonlight enveloped the emperor and empress's clasped hands, casting three overlapping shadows on the star chart.

(OS: History will record—during the years, the emperor and empress worked together to cure a serious illness, a princess was born, and peace reigned throughout the land. But I know, the real legend has only just begun.)

After that, the "Sun and Moon Treasure Book" was passed down through the ages, and the title page was forever printed with those three pairs of overlapping hands.

The secret archives of the Imperial Medical Academy contain a book written by Empress Wu herself, titled "Complete Record of Recovery from Wind-Related Illnesses," with the first page marked: "A physician's heart should be benevolent, and even more so, filled with deep affection."